Pallet jacks are well-known for moving products that are stacked upon pallets. There are many types of pallet jacks which can be utilized, depending upon the application. A manual pallet jack is often used to move pallet loads to and from the back of a truck, such as a semi-trailer. These jacks are often transported and stored in the truck so as to be available for loading and unloading of the palletized products. However, in prior art manual pallet jacks, the legs or forks are fixed and extend horizontally from the tower or base and take up substantial and valuable space in the truck during transport and/or storage.
Conventional pallet jacks utilize an actuator in the base and connect it to the forks to raise and lower the forks. These actuators add bulk to the base, thus requiring additional storage room for the pallet jack.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of the pallet jack having removable forks which can be moved between a horizontal use position and a vertical storage position.
Another objective of the present invention is a provision of a manual pallet jack having removable forks.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a pallet jack having forks which can be quickly and easily attached and detached for use and storage.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a pallet jack having an actuator in each fork to raise and lower the forks.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a pallet jack having a lock mechanism to lock forks in a raised or lowered position.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a pallet jack that can be moved between use and storage positions by one person.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a pallet jack having actuators in the forks for raising and lowering the forks.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a pallet jack which eliminates the bulky and heavy base, with a handle connected directly to the forks.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a pallet jack wherein controls are provided in the forks for raising and lowering the forks.
These and other objectives become apparent from the following description of the invention.